A Hundred Thousand Miles Away
by Totally Lori
Summary: AU "Here you are, and you're a hundred thousand miles away." - I never tried to do anything but secure his happiness. If that included setting him up with one of my friends because he never even looked at me twice, so be it. / / Begins as one-sided BloomBrandon, develops into full BloomBrandon; COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Winx Club. Never will. I've finally come to terms with it._

Yeah, I'll warn you: non-canon pairing coming up. If you haven't noticed that already, I'm telling you now.

Well, for those of you who will still read it, I didn't bring in all the characters, though they were mentioned. It was just a lot more tedious than it should have been, and I made this in first person.

Hope you enjoy. I'm going out on a limb here. Lol.

* * *

"_Here you are, and you're a hundred thousand miles away." –Barenaked Ladies_

* * *

**Bloom POV**

The sound of a door opening and closing was distant. It was the usual time for the rest of the family to return home, so it was nothing new. However, the next noise that was made was louder, and it was a door being thrown open. Since there was no stopper, it slammed against the wall, causing me to wince as my gaze shot up from the books in front of me. My eyes widened as my heart started racing at the sight of the boy in front of me.

His body was mostly muscular, but the muscles were lean enough to balance it all out and keep him from looking like a body-builder. His brown hair was cropped short in the back but had long bangs that favored the right side of his face, almost covering up his right eye, which was a shame because his chocolate brown eyes were usually shining and friendly. Like they were right now. His sharp features on his face were softened by the grin that curved his lips, and he looked happier than I'd ever seen him.

Which made sense to me as I glanced at the clock. Since he was here, it was obvious his date had gone well; otherwise, he would've been at home with his weights as he ridded himself of his stress in his quirky way.

Now that I knew why he was here, pain shot through me, but I smiled none-the-less. "Good night?" I teased, and I almost immediately regretted saying it because of how weak it was. He always knew how I was feeling when I spoke like that.

He wasn't glowing anymore, and his brows furrowed as he examined me. "What's wrong?" He sat down on the bed next to me, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"Nothing. I'm just sick of all this homework," I answered. I smiled at him again, hoping he would take that excuse.

"Didn't you have a date tonight?" the brunette asked instead, and I blinked. To be honest, I was shocked he'd remembered.

"The one with Andy?" I queried. He nodded. "Yeah, that didn't go so well. I cut out early with a lame excuse because he sat there most of the date and wrote in that notepad of his. You know, the one with the staffs?"

"He didn't," the male at the end of the bed groaned, sighing heavily. "What the hell's wrong with him?"

I laughed, shrugging. "It's not that big a deal. I know how much that means to him. He's trying to get a scholarship to go to that rigorous music school; it's really important, like a lawyer's Harvard." He didn't respond, scowling. "Brandon, really, I'm not under the impression Andy and I are going to end up married or anything." I rolled my eyes, just thinking about it. "Now, tell me all about your date."

His expression changed immediately, his eyes glazing over and a goofy smile spreading his lips. It was an expression I'd never seen on him before, and though I was glad he'd had such a good night, I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

"It was great. I mean... Stella's amazing. She was gorgeous, and she didn't pretend to like anything, even if she hated it. She let me know immediately, and it was so new to me. I've never had a girl let me know just what she liked before; it was a relief, too, because I was so wanting to get out of that place. Last time I take Sky's advice on a romantic restaurant."

I burst out laughing, and Brandon's face changed back into his cute smile I knew so well. "And what is so funny?" he inquired, his brown eyes glinting.

"That you took _Sky's_ advice, instead of asking me. I would've told you Stell's favorite restaurant, Brandon," I answered, shaking my head at him. "But of all people, you asked _Sky_." The idea was so funny I couldn't help but start laughing again.

Brandon feigned being hurt as he put a hand over his heart. "I can't believe you're laughing at me. I had no one else to ask, and I didn't want her to think I had to get her friend to tell me all this information about her."

Here I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Brandon, she would've _loved_ having you come to me. It shows you're wanting to go out of your way to make it perfect for her. It's a gesture I wished Andy would make every once in a while, actually," I muttered, pushing my hair back from my face.

"Doesn't Andy know your favorite restaurant?" he asked, smirking.

"Bran, Andy doesn't even know my favorite _food_. He thinks it's _tofu-burgers_," I retorted.

Brandon frowned. "Then why the hell are you his girlfriend?"

I shook my head, knowing he wouldn't understand. "That's one question I can't answer."

He wasn't happy with that answer, but as he opened his mouth to say something else – he more than likely wanted to remonstrate me – there was another addition to our duo.

I looked up as I saw someone enter my room from my peripheral vision, and I choked back laughs at the sight of the blonde. He was cute in a pretty boy way; his hair was longer than the average boy's, hanging just above his shoulders, and his blue eyes were the most amazing shade of blue that either got lighter or darker depending on his mood. Right this moment they were fairly dark, but not as dark as I'd seen them. The only thing I knew was that he was angry.

"Uh-oh. Looks like someone else had as bad a night as I did," I commented, and the blonde scowled at me. "Hey, don't look at me like that. My night wasn't great, either." His mood didn't change, but he didn't shoot me another dark look, so I patted the other side of my bed, and he immediately joined Brandon and me. "So, what happened, Sky?"

"Everything," Sky replied, his expression stony. "It was horrible from the start; she was the sporty type and insisted on doing everything herself. She snapped at me when I held a door open for her, tried to push her chair in, offered to walk her up to her door..."

I winced. "Ouch. Sounds like a feminist."

"She was," he muttered darkly. "She made that bit obvious over dinner, but I can't help how I am. Those manners have been ingrained on me since I was little."

"Huh. Well, at least your date didn't ignore you."

Sky's eyes widened in surprise. "_Andy _ignored _you_? What the hell's wrong with him?"

Brandon gave me a look that I ignored, crossing my arms over my chest. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Everyone?" Sky blinked in confusion.

"Yeah, you, Bran, Helia, Tec, Riv, and Muse," I named off. "You all asked the same question." Brandon looked pointedly at me. "What?"

"You're really asking us 'why'?" the brunette repeated.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, my God," Sky sighed, looking like he wanted to strangle me for being so oblivious. "You have no idea what you do to guys, do you?"

I didn't answer him because it was definitely the weirdest question Sky had ever asked me. They seemed to be waiting for a response, though, so I gave them the only one I could, "... _What_?"

"Look... I'm not able to put this delicately, but you're my friend, and you deserve to know, so I'm going to say this bluntly." Sky then felt the need to add, "And don't slap me." He then took a deep breath and plowed on, "Your body practically screams sex. The way you walk, the way you look up at guys, how you smile so slowly... You're an enticing woman, and men notice you."

If he hadn't told me not to slap him, I would've—well, actually my hand still jerked because I wanted to slap him, but Brandon had known it would happen and had been ready to grab both my wrists to stop me from doing it.

"Hey, you asked for an explanation," Brandon reminded me.

"I would've appreciated one worded a lot more nicely!" I snapped, my narrowed eyes shifting to the brunette.

"At least it's truthful. And he did tell you he couldn't put it delicately. Believe me, if it had been me explaining, you would've tried to strangle me," Brandon replied calmly, refusing to relent under my furious gaze. "You can stop trying to shoot fire out of your eyes; it's not going to work."

I hated myself for smiling; I hated him for making it so hard not to. If it had been Sky, I never would've succumbed so easily.

As it were, the blonde sighed, "I really wish you'd tell me how to do that. I would've been on the run if you weren't here."

Brandon pretended to preen and answered smugly, "I just have that affect on girls."

I snorted and chucked a pillow at his face, causing Sky to grin. "Yes, Bran, you're just _so _charming," I replied sarcastically.

The only problem was that, to me, he _was_.

* * *

I breathed in the fresh air welcomingly, tilting my head back to let the sun's heat caress my face. After so long for studying for spring semester college exams, it was great to finally have them over and to have the summer off. Being outside during the day was a bonus, too, since I'd been mostly studying.

It hadn't been long after my final exam that I was sought out by Brandon, who wanted our whole group to go to the park and get some much-needed sunshine. Our whole group was basically four couples, and then Sky and me. It was really odd since most of the group hinted that the two of us needed to get together, but we'd tried it a little over a year ago, and it just hadn't worked. Most of that probably had to do with the fact that Sky and I just weren't attracted to each other. Sure, we'd flirt a little, but it was all friendly; there was no real physical awareness between us. So we just stuck to being friends, and the extra wheels to the group.

Which was why I was sitting alone in a chair a good ways away from the happy couples. Sky had been with me, but now he was walking around a couple of yards away, talking heatedly to the other person on the receiving end of his cell phone. I'd picked up bits and pieces when his voice had gotten louder, so I knew he was talking to one of his parents. The best bet was his father since he never rose his voice to his mother, though all of his friends wanted to kill her. Even me, though she actually liked me, which was saying something.

Samera didn't like anyone Sky was friends with, never had, so it had definitely been a surprise to me when she'd invited me out with her one weekend for some "Girl Time." Sky had fretted over it the whole time we were gone, calling me and sending me messages, none of which I answered since I hadn't wanted to anger Samera. We'd actually had a really nice weekend, cutting up and just being girly, which was something I didn't get to do often, as my two best friends were boys. It had been great until she finally revealed her true reasoning for taking me out: Sky. When she'd brought it up, I had thought she wanted the scoop on all he'd been doing at college, so I was ready to tell her firmly that I wasn't going to talk about him when she started to ask me personal questions about him, particularly how I felt toward him.

Needless to say, that had been the most awkward moment of my life because I hadn't known what she was wanting from me. When I had assured her the only intentions I had with her only son were friendly ones, she'd actually seemed slightly disappointed, but she didn't press the situation, and she'd never brought the topic up again.

But that one weekend couldn't eradicate all the irritation I'd felt toward her from all the hell she'd put one of my best friends through, and she'd had some bad times where Brandon and I had actually plotted out her death, though any plans made were verbally or burned to keep from getting into trouble. We didn't really want her dead, but it made us feel better to vent; she knew just what to do to piss people off, and she did it quite often.

Sky's dad, however, was a different story. He was just a fat, unhappy man in a marriage he couldn't be in control of, and he usually got the brunt of all the blame, even if it was his wife's fault. I actually felt bad for Erendor because he just took it all in stride and never even tried to get the truth out there. He let his temper get out of hand only rarely, but it usually happened when Sky was being difficult, like he was right now. That poor old man.

"Eww!" The loud squeal from Stella brought me from my thoughts, and I turned my head to look at all the couples. The blonde girl had jumped up and was running toward me, her eyes clenched shut. "Eww, eww, eww!" she repeated, shuddering.

"Stell, what is it?" I sighed, moving to stand.

Her mouth trembled, but she didn't answer me. Shaking my head, I headed to the group all seated around each other, knowing I'd have to investigate to get an answer. Most of them were laughing, though the brunette girl in our group refused to as she crossed her arms, frowning at Brandon. "Brandon, you should know not to do that. It's no mystery she's afraid of them."

"I should've known," I muttered sarcastically, and seven heads turned to look at me. "What'd you do _this _time, Bran? Flora only gives the death glare when it's bad."

The brunette boy sighed, standing up. "I didn't do anything but pick this up and show it to her," he answered innocently, holding out his right hand, which was curled into a slight fist.

I grew wary for a moment but continued, "And what is it?"

Brandon's grin warned me before he moved closer to me and slowly opened his hand. "It's just this little thing."

I yelped and screwed my eyes shut as I backed away quickly, putting my hands up. "Bran, that was so not fair! Put it down!"

"It's harmless," the boy protested, heaving a sigh. I slowly opened one eye, daring to peek at him, only to find he'd moved toward me with his outstretched hand.

"I don't care! It's gross, and it has all those legs and..." I shuddered, unable to finish that sentence. "Just set it down, Brandon!"

"Fine."

I should've known he would find a "loophole."

The next thing I knew my hand was grabbed, and the spider Brandon had been holding was deposited on my hand. "There you go. I put it down."

Shuddering again, I immediately crouched down and pushed the spider in the grass. I then glared at him and stalked back over to my chair I'd set up away from them.

"Aw, come on, don't be angry about a spider," Brandon whined, but I chose to ignore him.

"The spider's gone, Stell," I announced, sitting back down.

"Thank you," the blonde girl sighed in relief, heading back over to the group.

I glanced at Sky, who was still arguing with his father, and pulled out my iPod from my pocket. Plugging the earphones in, I set it on shuffle and stretched my legs out, getting comfortable in the chair and leaning my head back with my eyes closed. I was exhausted, and I knew I wouldn't get any type of rest with my friends creating a ruckus.

* * *

I didn't remember falling asleep, but I was being shaken awake less than a second later, and I blinked sleepily, trying to clear my vision. The first thing I saw was a pair of chocolate brown eyes glinting merrily, and my breathing became a bit difficult. I pulled my headphones from my ears, and muttered a sleepy, "Mng...what?"

"Good evening, sleeping beauty," he teased, and my blush had nothing to do with embarrassment. "Stella, Sky, and I are going to get dinner, Sky's treat. He's even driving. You wanna come?"

I answered the only way I could, "Do I ever decline a free meal, plus a chauffeur?"

Brandon grinned, moving back and holding his hand out to help me out of the chair. "I didn't think you would."

He knew just how disoriented I was when I'd just woken up, so I was thankful for the opportunity not to trip all over myself getting out of the chair, grasping onto his hand. He helped steady me, his free hand on my waist, and I became disoriented for a whole different reason. I cleared my throat and looked up at him. "I'm good."

"You sure?"

I nodded, and his hand released my waist. I then relaxed my grip on his hand, allowing him to pull free. I turned to start folding up the chair, but he waved me off, doing it for me. I scowled momentarily. "I could've done that."

Brandon laughed, tapping me underneath the chin. "Yeah, and you would've knocked yourself out and injured me in the process. And then we would be nowhere," he retorted lightly, winking.

I couldn't help the smile that responded in turn to his teasing. I wanted to continue scowling at him; my mind told me to continue scowling at him, to deny his statement. But my body refused as I walked alongside him.

After he put the chair in the trunk of his car, he looked over at me, smiling knowingly. "Don't start pouting on me because I wouldn't let you carry a chair."

My face flushed, and I retorted, "I am _not _pouting!"

"Right. You're sulking. There's a difference," he agreed, smirking.

I glared at him and opened my mouth to respond; there was no telling how long we would've continued arguing if Stella hadn't cut me off. "Brandon, Bloom, stop fighting and come _on_," she demanded.

Brandon snickered and took off to his girlfriend's side, his arm circling around her waist as he brushed a kiss against her cheek. She pushed him away but smiled slyly and headed to Sky's car.

I headed after them, moving around to the opposite side in time to see Stella climbing in the front of the car, which wasn't a surprise. She wasn't a fan of sitting in the back seat, even though that's where her boyfriend sat. She claimed she got tossed around too much because of the way the seats were situated, and no one had the heart to object.

I didn't care where I sat, to be entirely honest, but it didn't hurt that Brandon was in the back with me. Of course, the more I watched him, the more I realized it didn't matter where he was. He was always going to be unreachable.

And I was always going to sit back and watch because nothing made me happier than him being happy.

* * *

-Sighs.- Finally, I got this one out. I've been sitting on this for a while. I wanted to write something one-sided, but I never could get the storyline down, nor could I figure out who I wanted it to be. Then I stumbled on some stories where people had all the guys pining after Bloom (which bugged the hell out of me, I'll admit; sorry if one of you is reading this). And I've had a want for a BloomBrandon story... and well, this is what came of it. I don't know if it will attract anyone, but I don't care.

I'm debating on making this a story (a short one), but I don't know. Let me know if you want it? I took up only a couple of hours the past two days doing this, so the chapters are coming a lot easier than anything in _Winxspray_, which I literally take a whole week writing on.

So, tell me your opinions. ^-^

No flames on the coupling, though. This is a strict non-canon story idea, and if you don't like it, sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Winx Club (though that'd be amazing, no?) but I do own this plot. :)_

**So I know I left you guys to wait a long time but when your family's breaking apart, it happens. The only good news I have between the month of August and the month of June is that I got to spend time with my best friend Sarah (though still fairly little compared to what we would want), I got a dog, I got to go to Orlando, Florida to go to the Harry Potter World in the back of Islands of Adventure, and I turned 18. And then last week I was in Panama City for vacation. The bad things include several trips to the hospital (one time for me, three times for my mom – she had a heart attack), a month of illnesses, my life turning upside down because my dad had an affair, and nearly failing a class without a way to get it fixed so that my chance to graduate this Saturday wasn't completely obliterated. It's not the worst life out there, I know, but cut me some slack for the late update. –Sighs. – **

**Btw, there is a slight -ahem- language problem in this one. Just a heads-up.  
**

**So without further ado, let the story continue!**

* * *

"_I never knew until that moment how bad it could hurt to lose something you never had." –_From_ Wonder Years_

* * *

**Bloom POV**

It was odd how something could become so instinctual, how something could be done without any thought whatsoever when it usually required intense concentration. I guess it just goes to show how far gone I truly am. It doesn't help that when I look down at my homework I'm not surprised by what I see there because it's become so familiar to me that I never realize when I'm doing it anymore.

The beginning of a decent sketch of one of my best friends was staring up at me, and I sighed heavily as I shut my textbook on it. It was actually starting to be ridiculous because I never knew when my subconscious would switch its focus onto him; it was always worse when I was doing homework. And the more I tried to suppress it the more prevalent it became.

Frowning, I fell backwards on my bed, crossing my arms over my eyes as I closed them. A moment later my door was opened – without a knock – and I peeked one eye from under my arms to see the blonde boy. "Hey. What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting up with Brandon for some male bonding time," I teased, smiling slowly.

Sky scowled as he sat at the foot of my bed, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Yes, well, apparently Brandon didn't think we were meeting up because when I called to ask him why he was thirty minutes late, he said he was with Stella. I couldn't even bring myself to yell at him because of how angry I was."

I didn't say anything because, well, I _couldn't_. That wasn't Brandon – he'd never forgotten to meet up with us. Ever. And if he couldn't do it, he usually had a valid reason for it; hanging with his girlfriend was never one of those "valid reasons." After a moment, I finally found the composure to say, "Well, at least he's finally getting serious." However, I knew how weak that sounded, and I knew he'd pick up on it.

"Too bad it's with the wrong girl," Sky sighed, and I heard the sound of something being shut that was curiously like the noise a textbook would make. But I was too busy sitting up to recognize it at first because of my shock at Sky's words.

"What'd you just say?" I queried, looking at him with a mixture of confusion, shock, and worry.

"I said it was too bad he's gotten serious with the wrong girl," Sky answered easily and slowly, as if I might have been hard of hearing. Then, to – I assume – emphasize his point, he knocked on my textbook. "Don't think I haven't noticed, Bloom – I'm not an idiot. It may have taken me a little while, yes, but you can only hide those looks for a short period of time before people notice – and I'm not the only one, though I was the first."

I felt the color drain from my face as I brought my knees to my chest and rested my chin on them. "Oh. That."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sky's incredulity and hurt made me wince, and I found that the reasons I had originally come up with didn't make sense, especially since Sky was one of the few people I completely trusted.

"I... I don't know. I was afraid to say anything, really, because I guess I kind of hoped... that, well, I would get over it if I didn't admit it out loud to someone else," I murmured, picking at my comforter.

Sky sighed and moved to where he was sitting beside me, and then put an arm around me comfortingly. "But that still doesn't make sense, Bloom. I don't get why you didn't tell anyone – and that includes Brandon – because you hoped it would go away. You don't know that he didn't feel the same way." He could probably feel the sudden excited tension in me because his next statement was rushed, "Not that he does right now, but he might have before we hooked him up with Stella." The flinch that followed these words was involuntary, and Sky sighed heavily. "Okay, I'm not doing so well with this..."

I shook my head, shrugging. "It's not your fault. It's kind of a mechanical response," I answered, smiling weakly. "I hate it, to be entirely honest. I'd much prefer it if I could be happy for one of my best friends without the lance of pain every time I know it's not me he's happy with."

"That's where you're wrong. He is happy with you; both of us are. And it kills us to know you're upset and there's nothing we can do about it."

It took me a moment to process Sky's words. "Wait, he knows?"

Sky smiled reassuringly. "He knows you're upset, but he doesn't know _why_, no."

I released the breath I didn't know I was holding, and it was silent for a few minutes as Sky let me calm down. Finally, I looked up at him, smiling sweetly. "So, since Brandon basically stood you up, does this mean we get to yell at him?"

The blonde burst out laughing as he nodded. "Yes, Bloom, I give you permission to yell at him."

"Yes! I've wanted a reason to be angry with him, and now you've given me ammo. You're the best friend a girl could ask for!"

Sky rolled his eyes before standing and stretching with a sly smile. "Wanna repay me by buying me ice cream?"

I laughed, shrugging as I stood as well. "Why not? Maybe we can publicly humiliate him while we're at it."

"Bloom."

"What? I was just kidding."

He stared at me with a raised brow.

"Okay, mostly."

Scowling playfully, he ruffled my hair. "Let's go before you get any more bright ideas that may actually be harmful."

* * *

"Oh, this is so not fair. This is like dangling meat in front of a dog and expecting it to sit there calmly," I complained, shifting back and forth on my feet as we stood in line. "I mean, he's right there, and he saw us come in but refuses to do anything, even _nod_. He came over to us last week. And yet you refuse to let me go over there and ask him what the hell he's doing."

Sky grinned as he shook his head at me. "That was last week, Bloom. He's a changed man now, remember? We think he's finally gotten _serious_."

I noted that he purposely ignored the important bits of my rant, but it didn't keep me from noticing what he was referring to. "Shut up," I muttered annoyedly, feeling my face flush in embarrassment.

He chuckled. "You're the one who was talking about it all the way here. I'm just repeating what you told me since you seem to have forgotten."

"I didn't forget," I retorted dryly, glancing over at the odd couple – really; I never thought about it, but a brunette and a blonde are weird together, and no I am not biased – and feeling the all-too-familiar pain run through me. "And order our ice cream already. Jeez, you're holding up the whole line."

Sky blinked confusedly before he registered my words, and then he abruptly turned around to give our usual order – two large ice creams in a cup, one with Cake Batter (mine) and one with Cookies and Cream (his, obviously). It was nice having a friend who knew what you wanted before you did – he and Brandon both were more capable of detecting what flavor ice cream I wanted, and since recently I'd been in a kind of depressed mood, Cake Batter had become the regular – it just lifted my spirits for some reason. And Sky only ever got Cookies and Cream. If he didn't, the world would be about to explode – because he'd been eating that since I met him and had never eaten any other flavor since.

"Here you go. And I suggest we go outside so that you aren't too tempted to yell at Brandon in the middle of his date," Sky "suggested" as he practically pushed me out the door after depositing my cup of Cake Batter ice cream in my hands. Though I wanted to sit outside, I scowled at his abrasive manner, causing him to abruptly stop pushing me. "Sorry. I just want to avoid a conflict right now."

"Yes, well, you're the one who suggested ice cream, and since he's here, I honestly think it's a sign that we should yell at him in public, but to make you happy, I'll wait until Stell's gone. But then he's screwed," I retorted, stalking out the door and heading to an empty table nearby. After sitting down I stretched my legs out in front of me, crossing them at the ankles as I spooned off my first bit of ice cream.

After a moment of silence, Sky sighed. "Okay. So until then, what?"

"We eat our ice cream and wait patiently; what else?"

* * *

Patience was definitely not an attribute I had, I soon figured out (though I probably should have known that already). That was why I was seething by the time Stella finally left; Sky had to physically restrain me when Brandon headed toward us. And I'm being serious – I had never been so pissed off (and hurt) in my entire life. Even if all my anger from previous interactions had been combined, I don't know if it could've matched what I felt at that moment.

Oddly enough, Brandon didn't notice – but Sky warned him off. "I wouldn't advise getting any closer unless you _want_ to be pummeled. And quite honestly, I'm angry enough myself to let her go if you don't listen to me."

That normally would have surprised me, but I was so far gone it didn't register. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at the brunette who – wisely – listened to Sky's warning and stopped in his tracks. My hands curled into fists, and the tirade started. "So, let me number the things you've done wrong today, and only in a matter of three hours. One – you blew off Sky for your girlfriend. You two had this day planned for the past three months, and you talked about it _last week_! Yet, it still managed to slip your mind. Two – you didn't even register that you were blowing one of your best friends off for said girlfriend! Three – when your best friends ended up in the same place as you and your girlfriend, you don't have the decency to at least _wave_ at us! And four – damn it, _four_ is that you came over here after knowing we've been here for more than an hour, and you still manage to be so ignorant that you failed to notice I wanted – no, not wanted, _want_ – to beat the shit out of you! What the hell is your problem lately, Brandon? You've screwed Sky and me over for the past two weeks, and we've tolerated it since you at least acknowledged us if we saw you out on one of your dates, but we are _not_ going to sit back and be ignored over a _girlfriend_!" I snarled – I couldn't help myself. I was lucky that I could control the expletives I was using because the words in my brain were a lot worse.

Brandon, at least, looked rightly shocked and chagrined. But for some reason it just wasn't enough. I wanted him to hurt like he'd hurt me – inadvertently of course, as it wasn't _all _his fault, though his hurting Sky definitely was – and some part of me just knew I wouldn't be satisfied until he was bleeding (figuratively, I promise) like I was.

"I didn't – You guys have to – It wasn't meant to –" As Brandon stumbled over his words, I took secret pleasure from the fact that he didn't know what to say, for once.

"Spit it out, Brandon! What 'didn't' you – what do we 'have to' – what wasn't 'it' meant to?" I was still easily drawing off my raw emotions, unable to stop myself, even with how pathetic Brandon looked. "Well?" I goaded, my voice harshly mocking.

"Can't we do this somewhere else, Bloom?" Brandon pleaded, his brown eyes wounded. I couldn't believe how it was possible for me to hurt any more than I already did, but it was. I clenched my hands tighter, my nails biting sharply into my palms as I shook my head, gritting my teeth and fighting against tears.

"No. You pushed me too far tonight, Brandon, and I am not going to do what you want just to make you feel better. Not anymore. That's all I've ever done," I answered, my voice strangled.

Sky, thankfully, chose this moment to speak up, allowing me to regain my composure. "We were okay with you getting so serious with Stella, Brandon, and we were okay with not getting to hang out with you. But Bloom's right – we've only ever done what you wanted to do, and it's never been a problem. Until now. I wasn't going to let her yell at you like this, since it was my battle – but then it became hers too when you looked up at us and then abruptly looked back at Stella without so much as a nod. You told me yourself that you'd noticed something was wrong with Bloom recently, and I thought that maybe your noticing that would make you want to spend more time with us, if not with her, and instead I find you purposely ignoring us on one of your many dates. Do you really think that's going to help one of your best friends?"

I always wished I could be as calm as Sky when he was angry with a friend – he always managed to sound more frightening and managed to get more across with his livid undertone. It said a lot about how the tone of someone's voice was what really got across. Of course, I was pretty sure that my tone was just enhanced by my yelling at Brandon, but I still envied Sky's calm anger, none-the-less.

But one thing about Sky – it didn't take much to vent his anger, so while his was mostly dissipated, mine was still mostly in full force. "Brandon, a response would be nice. We aren't talking for our health, believe it or not," I snapped, and as he winced again, I knew my eyes had flashed with my anger.

"I – no..." The mumble from Brandon was directed at Sky, and I honestly had no idea what he meant until Sky spoke up.

"Then why were you doing it? If you knew it was only going to make matters worse, make her think one of her best friends was avoiding her, then why the hell would you do it?"

"I—I didn't mean to. It—it's complicated," the brunette sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Try us," Sky retorted, crossing his arms. This was yet another thing about him – he only really got angry if his friends or family were being hurt, whereas I got angry about pretty much everything. Since his anger stemmed from the hurt of people he really cared about, it helped his case and made him seem all the better (yes, I am going in a tangent because I'm looking for a _good _person to notice my _single_, best friend – sue me).

Brandon ruffled his own brown locks _again_ before he finally muttered, "Stella doesn't like how close Bloom and me are. It worries her, and since I don't want her to worry, I... tried to fix it the best way I knew how."

_Stab._

"So, what you're saying is, one of Bloom's own friends doesn't trust Bloom? Even though she's the one who set you two up? Did she explain why?" Sky inquired since I couldn't seem to bring myself to do it.

Brandon grimaced. "Like I said, she doesn't like how close we are. But she also has this ridiculous idea that Bloom likes me, as in _likes_ me, which we all know is totally bogus. Bloom and I are like brother and sister."

_Stab, stab._

The brunette didn't notice the furtive glance I received from Sky, and quite honestly, I almost didn't notice it myself through the haze of pain that wrenched through me. Instead, Brandon continued speaking, like he couldn't help himself now that he'd started. "And when I tried to explain it to her, to make her see things the way I did, she wouldn't have anything to do with it. And then she started cutting me off from you," – here he nodded at Sky – "because she thought that Bloom would tag along."

_Stab!_

"So, wait. You're saying that trying to explain how Bloom and you are like brother and sister only made her feel more inclined to separate you from _both_ of us. Don't you see how ridiculous she's being, Brandon? Isn't she tipping towards just a bit _too _worried? Has she cut you off from anyone else?" Sky queried, and I could hear a strain in his voice. Was he thinking the same thing I was? Was he _feeling_ the same thing I was? Was his heart being just shredded to pieces because of _one fucking girl's wishes and jealousy_?

Brandon sighed again, and I heard a slight hint of frustration mixed in with the painful note. "I know it's ridiculous, Sky, but I really like her. And no, she hasn't tried to keep me from the others, just you two. She's jealous of our bond – she wants to be in on it. She'll come around once she realizes that there's not a single threat to her and that she can be included in it. I mean, come on, you guys can't think she's actually worried about Bloom _liking_ me. You see how ridiculous that is, don't you? Bloom?"

_Stab, STAB, S – T – A – B!_

_Damn it, just stop! _my mind screamed, but those are definitely not the words that come from my mouth. I barely managed a croaked and flat, "Yeah. Ridiculous." And as I see he's about to continue with his tirade, excited that I sided with him, I hold up a hand. "But you... Damn it, Brandon Julian Snow... If you're willing to go along with that, I..." I paused, trying to control myself as my voice cracked through its croak. "I want nothing to do with you. Or Stella. Ever."

Brandon's hurt crashed through me, even as it battled with confusion. "I don't understand."

Sky answered for me since it was obvious I couldn't. "She's saying that Stella's never going to be included in 'our bond.' Because there is no 'bond' here anymore. If you think we're going to stand for you putting your girlfriend before your best friends, then you're no, as you like to put it, 'brother' of ours. We don't want to be a part of your sick, convoluted mind games, Brandon. Just because you 'really like her' doesn't mean there won't be others. She may be your first love or _whatever_, but she's not good for you if she does this. So, Brandon, it's your decision: her or us."

The brunette looked like an abused puppy, but I couldn't bring myself to care – I hurt so much I was numb. "I – I need time to think," he stammered.

I saw Sky cringe at the same time the numbness went away. "Sorry, Brandon. Wrong answer."

Raw pain sliced through me, and I may have cried out – but no one ever told me. All I saw before everything went spiraling away from me were a pair of chocolate brown eyes darkened in hurt.

* * *

**I don't know how I liked this chapter's turn-out. And in the midst of it all, I just deleted a third of what was originally posted... :/  
**

**I obviously edited the ending for this (if you saw it before now). Yesterday it had been an important part (the original ending) but it's not so important anymore, now that I've already made it a good way into the third chapter, so I took it out. Usually I write short stuff like this and edit it after it's all said and done because things turn out not to be as important. **

**So, obviously, there's no telling what will happen by the time I'm through with this, honestly. I'd had this planned out when I started it (if I chose to make it into a **_**short**_** story) but... Well, this chapter hadn't originally been a part of my plans. In fact, it's a lot darker than I had anticipated, but... What can I do? I tried to make it go the way I **_**wanted**_** and it refused, so then I just let it come as it may.**

**Who knows what's going to happen next? Time-skip, obviously, but... My imagination is going crazy on me recently.**

**Anyway, I updated for those of you who started getting rather antsy on me. Hope you understand that I'm tried for time nowadays. I start college in the fall, but hopefully I'll have this done by the end of the summer. Depends on what happens.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! 'Til next time, toodles~ :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: It's pretty obvious that, since I'm writing a disclaimer, I don't own it._

**Whoo! I'm actually posting again. Aren't you guys so proud of me? Even though I should totally be working on **_**Winxspray**_** right now, I'm not (obviously). And Sarah's going to kill me, but I'm working on it. Slowly but surely. It's a pain in the ass right now. :/**

**Anyway, I'm trying to decide if I want there to be a chapter for Brandon's feelings/viewpoints or if Bloom should just hear everything through the grapevine. And since I'm telling this to you guys, it's a hint that I want you to tell me your opinion. Chapter for Brandon? Or keep it consistent with all Bloom? Though I have to say I'm leaning more toward a chapter for Brandon. –Shrug.– But don't let that sway you~ ;o**

**So, let the story continue~**

* * *

"_To offer a man friendship when love is in his heart is like giving a loaf of bread to one who is dying of thirst." –Frank Frankfort Moore_

* * *

**Bloom POV**

It was odd how quickly things could fall back into the same old routine after a falling out. Well, _almost _the same old routine. And it's not me that I was referring to – no, I was still "banned" at the moment. Sky was the one who had been miraculously allowed back.

But I had, in fact, returned to an old routine for me. From before the trio of Brandon, Sky, and me. I had returned to the trio of _Flora_, Sky, and me. Flora and I had always been close, but before Brandon came along in ninth grade year, we three were inseparable. People always questioned us when we weren't together, and if we ever had an argument, the whole school knew about it and _worried_ about it. We were like fraternal triplets who had been separated at birth.

But then, in tenth grade, we kind of had a falling out because Helia came along, and they started dating and hanging out so often I was lucky to find time to spend with her – and then Sky invited me to his house one night when Brandon would be there. They'd become close friends since Sky had felt like the odd one out in a group of girls, and he claimed he wanted his two best friends to see why the other was so important to him. Things were awkward at first because it had felt like Sky was drifting away from me at that time – and his friendship was way too valuable for me since we'd been together since preschool days – and naturally I had blamed Brandon for it. But by the end of the night, we had both realized that there was something we both envied in the other and managed to reconcile – for Sky's sake. But after a few more meetings we actually connected, and "our bond" was created.

That "bond" destroyed any possibility for Flora and me to grow close again – until it was pronounced demolished.

Which brought me back to my old routine: I was currently in Flora's room, lying on my stomach on a pallet in the floor, eating Funyuns and drinking Cherry Coca-Cola. While we watched Pride and Prejudice (the version with Matthew Macfayden and Keira Knightley).

"I always loved his word vomit," I sighed wistfully, crunching on a Funyun, and I saw Flora nod her head in agreement in my peripheral vision. "If only men like this were real." I paused for a moment before glancing over at her, smiling slyly and winking. "Of course, your Helia's pretty close to a Mr. Darcy, isn't he?"

Flora blushed darkly, and I giggled, shaking my head at her shyness. She hadn't changed a bit, even though she and Helia had been going steady for most of the length of our college days – and since we were almost ready to get our Bachelor's degree, that was saying something. They had only had one falling out in their relationship, and that was when they had argued about college. They hadn't been going anywhere close together, so Flora had wanted them to take a break from each other so that they could see if they reacted to anyone else (when, really, all she had wanted was to allow Helia some freedom since he was a teenage boy and would be so far away from her). Helia hadn't been happy about it, and they had argued, even though it had seemed rather obvious to everyone else when the story was relayed that Flora was going to get her wish – they would definitely separate if they were going to argue about separating.

Anyway, they ended up getting back together over the Thanksgiving Break during the first semester of college, and they hadn't separated since. Helia had visited her on every possible occasion, and recently he had spoken to me about proposing to her. It had only been once, and it had been a short conversation, and I had not heard about it since. However, since we were all nearing graduation (it was less than two months away) I had a feeling it would probably be soon.

"This has to be the easiest English credit in the world, Flo," I commented, stretching as I sat up to change positions.

"I agree – I can't believe they would count this as an English class, even if they films are based off literature. And it's a breeze to have this for our Final paper in the class," Flora added, nodding without taking her eyes off the screen.

"So, after this are we studying for Psychology?" I queried, taking a sip of my Cherry Coca-Cola.

"Mhmm. We're just doing this for a break, since we can truthfully say we are studying for our English Final without it technically being a lie," Flora replied.

"Ah. Nice, Flo. Real nice." I grinned at her. "You're taking a walk on the wild side, huh?"

"If I were, we wouldn't be watching a movie for our class's Final in the first place, Bloom," Flora answered wryly, causing me to grin again.

"True," I agreed. "Very true."

"Shouldn't you two be studying?" a girl's voice asked, and we two girls whipped our heads up in the direction of the door. She had become a slight addition to our duo recently, making us a trio of girls, so it wasn't exactly a surprise to see her framed in the doorway, with her midnight hair pulled up into its usual: pigtails.

"Hey, Muse. And we are studying. This is the movie for our Final paper in our Film Lit. class," I answered, grinning. "Amazing, isn't it? Don't you wish you'd taken it now?"

Musa sighed, heading to the pallet on the floor and plopping down onto it with us. "Yeah. I could use a little Mr. Darcy right now."

"Oh, no," Flora murmured, picking up the remote and pausing the movie. "What happened?"

Musa winced, twirling a finger around a strand of hair. "Well, actually, it was mostly my fault this time. He had started talking to the man behind the counter at the auto center – we were there to get a new alternator for my car – and when I tried to get his attention, he kind of rebuffed me. So, I turned to one of the other guys and started talking to him... and flirting. It got Riven's attention, and my message was clear. He didn't say anything to me until we had gotten back to my house and he was working on replacing the alternator, but by then he was so angry that he was actually yelling at me, and I was surprised to hear a few cuss words in there. Apparently they were both in a few of his classes, and not only did it make him angry that I would flirt with a random guy to get his attention, but it also made him angry that I would have to do it with guys who knew I was definitely his girlfriend and with whom he actually respected." She paused to take a deep breath. "And naturally, we got into a huge argument about how stupid the other one was to do what they did, and it ended in me feeling bad since this time it really was completely my fault."

"I notice you started out with 'mostly' and ended with 'completely.' What made you change your mind during that explanation?" I inquired, quirking a brow.

Musa sighed, massaging her temples. "I realized how stupid I was. I mean, it's not like he's never ignored me before, and there definitely were easier ways to get his attention. I just wish I didn't feel like I had to fight for it so much."

"Musa, sweetie, you were there so he could buy an alternator for your car to fix it. I feel like you have his attention more than any of his friends or classmates in this world combined. How many times did you have to say you thought something was wrong with your car before he checked it out?" Flora questioned.

The girl stopped to think. "Once, and it was only in front of him, not_ to_ him. He checked it that night, and today was the first day he could go because of classes..." Her voice trailed off slightly at the end as she slowly started to notice what Flora was getting at. "Oh."

"You're so used to it that you don't realize that not every girl is treated that way in their relationships. I remember when we went on a trip last summer for a week right after summer classes ended, and you said something about wanting Krispy Kreme Donuts. The very next morning he got up early and brought them back for breakfast," I added with a smile. "Not every guy would do that. Riven pays attention to your every word, Muse. Jeez, he _loves_ you in every sense of the word. Everyone sees it constantly, except for you. Maybe it's time _you_ should start paying more attention to _him_."

"I _do _pay attention, but every time I do, it ends up in us arguing," Musa complained. "Like when he made that comment about how I needed to do more than plan on having a music career, that I needed a fallback. He made me feel horrible because I thought he was saying he didn't like my singing, but when I dropped it and started to work on getting a degree in Production, he got mad at me."

Flora and I shared a look before we sighed. "I think we need to start having a class entitled Riven One-oh-One," I stated dryly before looking at Musa. "Okay. First, you're remembering that incorrectly. He was worried that you would go off and leave him behind – do you remember him ever saying that? Because it was the next time we were all together that he made the comment about you having a career fallback – and the way he said it kind of put a bad twist on his words, I agree. But really, he was just concerned that you might not realize all the shit you were going to get yourself into and that you might dump him on his ass for some Roadie or something."

"I would have wanted him to come with me! I would have put him in charge of security or something!" Musa retorted.

"And he would have refused. Multiple times. But we all know that he would have eventually caved in. Muse, he wanted you to sing – it's obvious how much it's a part of _you_. But he wanted you to fight for it because that's what you'll have to do later in life. You have to fight for what you believe in and you have to fight for your dreams, and we all know that singing has been your dream forever. But if you wouldn't fight him for it, what makes people think you would fight others for it? That's what Riven does – he shows you his support by trying to make you stand up for it. If he's there while you do it, then he's supporting you. End of story." I rubbed the bridge of my nose to prevent an oncoming headache. "You and Riven have been together for years now – one would think you would understand Riven's words and actions," I murmured.

Musa snatched up a pillow and yelled into it. When she dropped it, she groaned. "Ugh. Why does everyone understand my boyfriend but me?"

"Well, it helps that Riven's my brother, which means Flora's been around him almost all her life, too. And Sky. But the guys mainly understand him because they're guys, and then Tecna knows what Timmy knows," I explained. After a short pause, I added, "If it makes you feel any better, Stella's more clueless than you are when it comes to Riven."

Musa gave me a look that I knew well. "Surprisingly, Bloom, it doesn't make me feel any better," she answered sarcastically. "Come on! She's more intuitive about when girls are possibly encroaching on Brandon than she is with anything else – in fact, she doesn't care about anything else because she thinks of Brandon like a possession, and no one can have what's hers."

I blinked, startled at Musa's tone. "I knew you didn't really like her, Muse, but I didn't know you disliked her that much."

"Yes, well, when she makes him halfway miserable because she won't allow one of his best friends near him, it kind of affects the whole group. I don't think anyone's too happy with her right now," Musa snapped, looking at me with an expression I had come to know all too well.

"Ugh. Why the hell is it, that every time I think I might be getting over him just a little bit, everyone has to bring him up and crush any possibility of it whatsoever? _Why_?" I groaned, massaging my temple. "And I hate that look. No one can possibly know how much I freaking _loathe_ that look."

Musa scoffed. "I went through that look phase, too, you know," she retorted. "So, now you and are I practically even. But I am extremely angry that you didn't tell me earlier! You know how stupid I felt when your _brother _was the one who told me? I thought it was a rule that the girls always find out before the brothers."

I found my brows raising, and I could barely believe what I was hearing. "I didn't know it would bother you that much, Muse. And quite honestly, I thought I had hidden it well enough from Riven. Obviously not..." I muttered, pushing a hand through my red locks. "Everyone's been crushing my hopes and dreams lately. It's murder."

Musa snorted, trying not to laugh, and Flora grinned at me. "If that's all it takes to crush your hopes and dreams, sweetie, I think you need better hopes and dreams," the brunette teased.

"Eh," I answered, shrugging. "What do you guys say we take a legit break from studying to go get pizza and some ice cream or a milkshake or whatever?"

"I'm totally in!" Musa exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I am starving!"

"Me, too," Flora agreed, getting up as well.

I followed their leads and stood, stopping _Pride and Prejudice_ and turning off the television. "You want me to call and see if Riv, Helia, and Sky want to come with us?"

Musa shrugged, shuffling her feet slightly. "That's fine with me. I probably need to apologize to Riven, anyway."

"What's with you and Sky?" Flora questioned as I fished my phone out of my pocket.

I paused in mid-dial and looked up at her. "...What do you mean?"

"Well, you two just seem to hang out a lot more, and you're basically making it a triple date," Flora answered, causing me to blink.

"We hang out a lot because he wants to keep things at least partially normal for me and because he understands what I'm going through a lot more than you guys – he has _known_ me the longest, because of the gap you and I had, Flo. And I'm inviting him because there's no one else I can invite and because I don't want to be the fifth wheel," I explained, continuing to dial the number I had paused in the midst of. "Don't read anything into it, you two. Sky and I dated once and it didn't work out – it's not going to happen again. Besides, I'm still a bit hung up over Brandon if you've forgotten in the past five minutes."

_I only wish I wasn't._

* * *

"Wow. Musa apologizing to Riven. That's a new turn of events," Sky commented as the four of us (Flora, Helia, Sky, and me) watched the two talk outside _Gino's_.

"She finally realized that Riv isn't always making the problems," I replied, grinning. "We held a session of Riven One-Oh-One."

Sky laughed, nodding. "You should make that a class. Our whole group needs to learn it."

I scoffed, looking at him like he'd lost his mind. "You'd have to be the instructor. I learned half of it from you."

"We could both be the instructors. And we could charge everyone but Musa."

"Why everyone but Musa? She needs it more than anyone," I retorted, shaking my head. "No – if we charge anyone, it will be Musa."

Helia felt the need to add, "And Stella?"

"Her, too. We'll double the price," I agreed, nodding. "Thank you for reminding me, Helia. You're a good man."

Flora and Sky both shook their heads. "Why did you give her the idea?" Flora asked her boyfriend, sighing.

Helia laughed, waving his hand. "It won't hurt Stella to pay for the class."

"Oh, wait. We should have a class for not treating your boyfriend like he's a possession. She'd definitely need that one," I said, remembering what Musa had told me.

"We talking about Stella?" the aforementioned female inquired, and I nodded. "I think we should do it. But we shouldn't tell her what it was until after she paid for it, and we can make sure she signs a contract saying there are no refunds."

I burst out laughing, along with Helia and Riven, and I reached out my hand to high-five her. "Great idea, Muse. That would be comical, and it would piss her off. I bet she'd be so angry."

Flora and Sky were the only two who didn't share the amusement with the rest of us. "Bloom, you're almost off probation; do you really think that's going to help your case?" Sky murmured, massaging his temple.

I frowned, my brows furrowing. "Do you honestly think I care? I haven't heard anything from Brandon, and until he apologizes for acting the way he did over a stupid girl, then I don't give a rat's ass what _Stella_ allows me to do. If I wanted to see Brandon, I would have already. But quite honestly, I can go without seeing him for a pretty long time right now."

"I hope you don't mean that literally..." Musa stated dryly.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, no reason, really. Just..." Musa trailed off, shifting awkwardly.

Sky cleared his throat, looking above my head before looking back at me. "Uh, Tecna and Timmy just walked in with both Stella and Brandon."

I stared at him blankly, meanwhile feeling my heart pounding in my ears as my hands curled into fists. "Someone has to go. Me or them."

"C'mon, Bloom, it's been like—" Sky started, but I quickly cut him off.

"It's been six months, Sky. No offense, but I'm not exactly on the Forgiveness Train just yet, and I'm sure as hell nowhere near the Forget Train's _station_, for goodness sake," I snapped through gritted teeth. I knew I would fall apart again if I saw him. I wasn't ready to see him and I felt nauseous already – I would not be able to stand seeing him without causing a scene. "And I highly doubt you're ready for another one of those scenes like the outside of the ice cream parlor."

"Hey, guys. Sorry we're late."

I swallowed hard at the sound of his voice. It had been far too long since I'd heard it, and it was surprising how much it affected me.

"That's fine. You weren't exactly invited, anyway," Riven answered. "But of course you guys wouldn't know what that means because you always think you're invited."

"What're you talking about? Tecna and Timmy said we could come," Stella retorted.

I laughed harshly. "Yes, well, too bad they weren't the ones who came up with the idea, which ultimately means they had no right to invite you."

"Sorry, Bloom. I didn't know you were the one who had organized it. When Riven called, I thought it was the rest of us," Timmy apologized, looking extremely awkward.

Tecna came to her boyfriend's aide. "Yeah, it's been a while since you've hung out with all of us."

I looked at Tecna, rather angry that she would actually say such a thing. "Yes, well, if I wasn't on "probation" as Sky called it, then maybe I would have hung out with you guys. But it seems everyone's usually with Stella, and with Stella is Brandon, which means I'm not invited. So I'm sorry I wanted to hang out with my friends for once, Tec, seeing as I don't get to."

Tecna didn't say anything, which meant she was still standing by her insinuation of how it was my fault. And when no one else said anything, I stood up. "All right. It's pretty clear how this is turning out. I guess I'll leave – as usual – and let you guys have your fun." I didn't look at any of them as I maneuvered my way to the door because honestly, it wasn't my intention to guilt my friends into anything. Was I sick of not getting to see all of them? Yes. But was I really supposed to sit there and make my friends choose me over Stella and Brandon (even though really it was me over Brandon)?

Did it hurt that they could understand my side of things and talk big whenever Brandon and Stella weren't around, but when they _were_ around, all they did was sit there without backing me up? Absolutely. Did it hurt that they obviously preferred to hang out with everyone rather than a few of them hang out with me? Yes. Did that mean I should make them hurt just as badly, though? No. Which was why I always gave in and let them have what I knew they actually wanted. Sure, they probably hated Stella's guts – but that didn't change how they felt about hanging out with Brandon. Hell, I was the last person who could blame them for wanting to hang out with him. I still did – but I wanted him to realize that it wasn't just my fault for what had happened. He was at fault, too – in fact, he was more at fault than I was. He'd even lost Sky for a time being.

But out of all of that, he'd managed to gain more and lose less – a lot less than I lost. And that sincerely hurt.

"Bloom!"

The exclamation was a late warning because the next thing I knew, I was being crashed into and slammed into the ground. "Ow," I wheezed, having had the wind knocked out of me.

"Sorry. I misjudged the distance," the person on top of me panted, and I looked up in time to see the wince. "I've never seen someone walk so fast in my life. That Aerobic Walking class was some serious business, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, sure. Now will you get off me? You're hurting me," I complained, my eyes scrunched in pain.

Sky scrambled up immediately, causing me to wince in the process as he hit my already sore muscles. "Sorry, again. I didn't know you were that close. Or that you would stop."

Laughter finally reached my ears, and I looked up to see several people watching us – or, well, laughing at us. I scowled as I allowed Sky to pull me up, and I crossed my arms as I glared at them. "It's not funny. I'm going to be bruised."

"You poor baby," Musa snickered, rolling her eyes. "That was comical. Sky hasn't knocked you to the ground in years. It's definitely something worth waiting to see again."

I made a face at them, which only caused them to laugh harder. But even though I was in physical pain and was scowling at the group of people in front of me, I could help but feel lighter and happier than I had in a while. Before me was a group of people I hadn't spent time with (all at once) in a long while. So while I pretended to be angry with them, it was really only for their amusement because it was so nice to see the grins on their faces. Sky, even though he was hurt too, was snickering at my childish behavior; Flora and Musa were making faces back at me; Riven and Helia were laughing; and Tecna and Timmy were grinning and shaking their heads. I actually ended up tearing up slightly from the complete and utter relief I felt at seeing all of them.

The only reason I wasn't crying was because the picture wasn't complete. There was one face missing, and that face would have had tears rolling down it from laughing so hard. That face would have made me laugh because it would have been impossible to keep scowling. But that face was so far away from me at that moment that it would have been stupid to even hope for it.

That wonderful face with its brown hair and brown eyes that had stolen my heart and refused to give it back.

* * *

**So, there's another chapter out. I know, the going's been slow. And this was a rather filler chapter, but I couldn't have them become friends again within one chapter. And they won't be friends in the next one, either, but this story is short and will be finished within... I'll say another two or three chapters.**

**Don't forget to let me know if you want to see Brandon's POV or just Bloom's POV with the grape-vine. :)**

**Toodles~**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I seriously do not gain anything from this work of fanfiction – except amusement._

**Here's yet another update for you guys~ I only had one person review to say that she wanted to see Brandon's POV, but quite honestly, that was enough. **

**By the way, guys, I know how many people look at this, and in which months, and I really would appreciate any feedback, honestly. If you like it, that's great – but tell me. And if you hate it, that's fine, too – but tell me. I know several of you have favorited and alerted this story, but I would appreciate hearing your actual thoughts on the chapter, even if it's just one thing in particular you dislike or like. It helps me learn what appeals to my audience and what doesn't.**

**But that aside, I'm glad to see that people are enjoying this, period. Those of you who are reviewing, I thank you! This goes to all my reviewers – you guys make my day! :D**

**One last thing: for once, this chapter starts in sequence with the previous one. In the other two, months had passed, but this starts with how everyone wound up leaving Brandon and Stella in the pizza place. ;]**

**Without further ado, let the story continue~**

* * *

_"Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell." –Edna St. Vincent Millay_

* * *

**Brandon POV**

My gaze followed the redhead as she stalked gracefully out of _Gino's_, her head held high. If it had been one of the more usual circumstances, I would have been proud of her. However, seeing as it was our friends, Stella, and I who were causing her to leave, it was guilt I was feeling. Had I known she had come up with the idea, I never would have come – even if Stella had been all right with it. She was still angry with me, and I didn't want to make her feel like she had to make the choice for everyone to keep something from happening. I had gotten to spend much more time with everyone else than she had, and I knew it wasn't fair to her – but I didn't know how to fix it because these people were my friends, too.

"Damn it!"

I looked up, startled, to see Sky pushing himself from his seat furiously. "Sky…?" Stella queried, as frightened by his outburst as I was.

"Why the hell couldn't you two have the decency to leave the moment you saw she was sitting here?" Riven snapped, slamming his hands on the table. "You know it's not fair, and, no offense, but we were waiting for _you_ to speak up."

"Brandon? Why should he have to speak up?" Stella retorted.

Helia ignored her and continued addressing me. "We've all made it clear to you that you need to start stepping down, and you say you want her to be able to forgive you when the time comes for you to apologize, but the one time the opportunity comes after so many months—" He was cut off by Sky.

"You make us all look like assholes. Thanks, _pal_," Sky snarled. "I wonder why I even defend you to her anymore." With a scathing look sent in my direction, he turned on his heel and took off out of the place.

"Way to go, Bran. Make us look like the bad guys – yet again. But then again, that's all you ever do, isn't it?" Musa hissed, glaring daggers at me. "And Stella, just to get this out there, you're a bitch. You're making everyone miserable with your possessiveness, and it's gotten really old." She and Riven quickly followed Sky's example.

Flora frowned, sighing. "I'm sorry, you two, but they're right. The only reason anyone's even putting up with Stella anymore is because of you, Brandon – everyone's getting tired of having to do it, too. So Stella, either straighten up or you'll be finding Brandon's lost all his friends."

"She's right, you know. Keep on this road and you'll both be miserable," Helia added, ushering his girlfriend with him so they could follow the others. "And Tecna, I'm disappointed in you. Of all people, you were pissed at them the most when Bloom couldn't hang out with us, and now it's like you're the exact opposite. I'm going to take this advice myself: don't be two-faced."

Tecna gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists. She glanced at me, her face flushing in anger and embarrassment, before she followed everyone else, leaving Timmy. He sighed, looking at me as he shrugged. "I think everyone else covered it all, honestly. And I'm sick of being the pushover who doesn't take action when I've done something wrong. Bloom was right earlier, and I just stood there without defending her. We've all done that for too long because we didn't want to choose, but since we're having to... Sorry, man, but I choose her. She needs us a lot more than you do." He, too, took off to go after his friend, and I couldn't help but smile, even though it did hurt to hear them say all that after such a long time of holding it in.

"I can't believe this!" Stella sputtered, outraged. "They ditched us. They all ditched us. And did you hear what they said to me? Why didn't you say anything?"

I stared at her, only mildly surprised. Of course, through it all, she had only taken offense; she would take their words with a grain of salt when they were trying to help her, but if they even slightly insulted her or insinuated what she was doing wrong, it was like she had been stripped of her rights or something. "Because that's what they believe, Stella. I can't rebut their beliefs because they aren't facts; they're opinions. I really don't know what you would have expected me to say – if they think that about you, then they think that about you. If they're threatening to ditch me because of you, they're threatening to ditch me. I can't say they aren't going to ditch me because that's not how it works. I don't control their every move, emotion, or thought," I retorted, marginally annoyed.

"I would have expected at least _some _defense when one of them called me a _bitch_, Brandon!" Stella growled, her amber eyes flashing. "But you stood there and did _nothing_!"

"What the hell did you expect me to do? Run after Musa and hit her or something? I don't know what you're thinking, but if you expect me to do anything to one of the girls, you're dead wrong. Last I checked, that's your territory. You can ban her from hanging out with us if you want," I snapped sarcastically, feeling my anger rise.

Stella gasped indignantly, her eyes widening. "I cannot believe you just said that to me!"

I laughed – shortly and harshly. "Well, it's true. You've banned almost anyone you've felt should have been. The first one was my best friend, and look what happened there."

"I told you already – she was obviously interested in you as more than a friend! I don't know how you missed it!" Stella exclaimed, and I could see the beginnings of one of her tantrums.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but it didn't work. The words tumbled from my mouth before I could censor them. "It's not my fault you were too insecure to think that it would have mattered, Stella."

I heard and felt the slap before I truly _felt_ it. The loud noise echoed in the now-silent _Gino's_ as my head was jerked to the side from the force of the blow. It took a few seconds for my shocked nerves to register the pain, and then I slowly slid my hand to the tender spot on my face as I turned my head to look the blonde girl in the eyes. "I am going home, Brandon. Do not contact me in any way within the next forty-eight hours. Maybe by then you'll understand what a mistake it was to say something like that to me."

She turned on her heel and left, and I knew I had hurt her pride – she had never gone so far as to slap me before, though she had warned me she would if I "went too far." Even so, I wasn't inclined to take back what I had said because I had thought it more than once before in the past couple of months.

As I left _Gino's_, I mulled over her words. It was odd, but they sounded almost like a threat – but a threat for what I didn't know.

* * *

**Two Months Later  
**

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I blinked, smiling in response. "Well, that's a nice way to greet someone."

Sky rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, blocking my entry into his house. "There's a reason I didn't answer my cell phone and told no one to answer the house phone if they saw your number."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed there was, which was why I came to your house," I answered, nodding.

"You do know that makes no sense whatsoever."

"Well, you couldn't exactly _not_ answer your door; the only thing you could do was slam it in my face. And since we both know you wouldn't do that after my persistence the last time it happened, I thought I'd give it a shot," I explained. The blonde male shook his head, obviously annoyed at the predicament. "Anyway, I was kinda hoping I could talk to you about Stella."

"_Again_?" Sky asked reflexively before he sighed heavily, pushing a hand through his blonde locks. "Dude, this isn't the best time, really."

"Why? You got a girl in there with you or something?" I joked, grinning at him.

"Yes, actually, he does," a voice I had missed terribly sounded in my ears, and I could hear that she was attempting to sound annoyed with me rather than hurt.

Sky frowned, looking over his shoulder to address the hidden speaker. "I told you I would handle it."

"Yeah, well, we all know how well that works for you," the same girl retorted dryly, and I could imagine the smile that crossed her face as her eyes glinted in amusement. My heart gave an unusual lurch, and I had a sudden urge to see her face – all I had seen recently was her back, and that wasn't enough to get me by.

However, even though I had that desire to see her, I didn't expect to step forward and push the door open further, and Sky obviously hadn't expected it either because he didn't stop me until it was too late. I felt overwhelmed as I looked at a face that had once been a constant part of my routine. She hadn't changed much, though she did look like she was getting a bit too thin; her face was still tanned, her facial structure had not changed, her hair still framed her face the exact same way, and her lips had that same quirk to them. The one thing that I knew had changed, and that was consequently my fault, were her eyes: the teal pools held a new depth to them, one that could almost hide the shadowed hurt there. "Bloom," I breathed her name almost inaudibly, and I heard the slight huff from Sky that signaled he had stiffened, obviously worried about how Bloom would take all this.

I found out later that she took it better than either of us had even begun to expect.

She inhaled shakily as a weak smile curved her lips. "Evening, Brandon," Bloom greeted quietly, her eyes unreadable. I felt an odd sense of déjà vu – this was how our first encounter had started, though quite less awkwardly from my side.

"I – uh, sorry for barging in on yours and Sky's..." I trailed off as something dawned on me, something I didn't particularly like. "Are you two dating again?"

The response I received brought relief and lightened the heavy feeling I had: the redhead laughed. "Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"Wishful thinking," Sky responded dryly.

"But they know I don't like you," Bloom retorted.

"Like I said, wishful thinking. They assume it may change every week," Sky stated with a twinge of annoyance.

Tired of them talking like I wasn't there, I cleared my throat. Yes, this was definitely a lot like our first actual meeting. "Why would it be wishful thinking for Bloom to like you?" I questioned Sky.

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Because they're all deluded into thinking that it would complete our group. The only one who's given up on it is Musa because she knows it won't happen."

Bloom scoffed, crossing her arms. "I'm pretty sure they all know it isn't going to happen by now, but I guess we'll have to explain why since my answer's not good enough for them."

I blinked as my blonde friend paled and muttered, "Great. Just what I always wanted."

"Huh?" I queried, more confused than I had been originally.

Bloom shook her head, smiling slightly since she knew Sky had a secret that I wasn't aware of. "Nothing, Brandon. Don't worry about it."

I found myself gritting my teeth, hating that I was left out of something and knowing that I had no choice but to wait. My gaze lingered on the redhead, drinking in the mischievous look on her face, and when she noticed I was staring at her, her face fell, and the shadows that had momentarily left her eyes crept back in. My heart lurched again, and before I knew it I was rambling. "I'm sorry, Bloom. I don't know what made me think that Stella was just going through a phase, and I don't know what made me think that I should allow her to do that to you. It's been the longest year of my life. Honestly, it's been pure hell. I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you; nothing's the same without you. I was so stupid, and I promise not to do it ever again, and I think I'll die if I do, but I don't blame you for what you did because you were right about it all, and I was crazy to think otherwise, and now I can't make a single move unless she knows about it, and it's bugging the shit out of me, and I seriously need you two to help me because I don't know how much longer I can take all of this, and if I have to go another day without talking to you like I used to, I really do think it will be the death of me—" I paused to take a deep breath, but I didn't get any further.

Bloom was clutching her sides and laughing, much to my chagrin. I winced, worried about what that meant. After a long moment, she looked up at me, her eyes glistening with tears she was shedding as she laughed. "Brandon, I don't think you have ever made such a long string of words that didn't really connect in a specific order," she managed to get out, slowly calming herself. She wiped her eyes and looked up at me, grinning. "You know, a simple apology with an admission of what you did wrong would have sufficed." She paused before adding, "And maybe some flowers." I blinked at her, watching as her teal eyes glinted with amusement.

I felt rather embarrassed about rambling the way I had, but it was actually worth it to see her look at me with such sincere happiness after almost a year of hurt looks. "So you'll forgive me?" I questioned after a long moment, my voice cracking. I was already feeling elated, and I wasn't even entirely sure if she would – but I was so close to gaining her forgiveness that it probably wouldn't have even mattered if she hadn't; I would probably still feel the elation.

She turned her head to the side and looked at me from the corner of her eye, a smile softening her features. "Yes, Bran, and I'll even go one step further – I already forgive you," she answered.

"This is just so beautiful and all, but do you think we can get back to our movie, Bloom?" Sky questioned, mocking our situation.

I grinned, sharing a look with Bloom as I called out, "Group hug first!" His eyes widened as the two of us swarmed him, and the struggle commenced.

"Oh, come on, this is so not fair! You two know I hate this stuff!" he complained, trying to get away from us. It had been something we used to bug him with back in high school, and we had done it intermittently since we had started college.

Bloom laughed, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Think of it as preparation for when you start getting into serious relationships."

I chuckled, releasing both the blonde and redhead, watching as Sky scowled and tried to fix his hair. "So, do you mind if I join you guys?"

"Of course not, Bran. Come on," Bloom replied, motioning for me to follow them as they entered the living room. Sky sat on one end of the couch while I sat on the other and Bloom promptly fell into the empty space between us. "Ah-uh," Bloom reprimanded as Sky picked up the remote to continue the movie I had unwittingly interrupted.

Sky frowned, not understanding. "What?"

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget his original reason for coming here. He's having problems with Stella," she reminded the blonde boy (and me).

"Oh, right. Sorry, dude. What's she doing now?" Sky inquired, sitting forward a bit so he could see me around Bloom.

I sighed, running a hand through my brown locks as I tried to think of how to explain my situation. "She's getting worse, if you haven't guessed. And when I say worse, I mean she's starting to yell at me for any and every move I make without her permission," I muttered darkly. "It's driving me crazy. I don't know what her problem is, but she's already pushed her luck more times than I can count. I don't know how many times I've snapped at her and gotten slapped for saying something rude."

I remembered a bit too late that Bloom didn't like it when anyone hit another person, no matter who it was or for what reason.

The redhead inhaled angrily, standing abruptly and whirling around to look at me. "She's _slapped_ you?" Bloom hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowed.

"You didn't hear about the _Gino's_ incident?" Sky asked incredulously. I was surprised, too – I didn't know anyone who hadn't heard about it.

"What are you talking about?" Bloom asked, and I suddenly felt bad for Stella – there was no telling what Bloom would do to her the next time they saw each other.

Sky didn't seem to care, though, because he answered her. "They argued in _Gino's_, and Brandon said something about Stella being too insecure to let him hang out with you, and she slapped him."

If I thought I had seen Bloom angry before, I was wrong. Her nostrils flared as her eyes flashed angrily, and her hands clenched into fists as she growled, "She _slapped_ him in _public_?" I had never seen her look so murderous, and I quickly reached out and circled her wrist with my fingers to keep her from turning around and heading out at that exact moment.

"It was fine, Bloom. Don't do something you think you'll regret," I warned her softly, rubbing my thumb against her wrist in what I hoped was a soothing gesture.

"Oh, I wouldn't regret anything I did to her right now. That _bitch_," the redhead snarled, and I couldn't help but smile. I tugged her arm hard so that she fell forward into my lap, making it easier for me to keep her from acting impulsively.

Releasing her wrist, I circled an arm around her while my free hand tilted her head up. "Bloom, I know you would hate yourself if we let you do anything while you're this angry, and I think you're overreacting to it. So just calm down so you can think rationally."

Bloom didn't answer for a long moment, her face flushed in what I assumed was anger. "I am thinking rationally," she finally retorted, and I snorted.

"Yeah, of course you are."

Sky finally opted to speak up after his long silence. "Dude, I really think you should just break up with her. You're miserable; you've been miserable. And it's just going to get worse for you. And Bloom's right – she shouldn't be slapping you or anything of that sort just from you pointing out her flaws. That's not right, and I can't believe you've taken it this long."

None of us spoke for several minutes, and I knew they were letting me mull it over. I released Bloom as I thought over it briefly. But I really didn't need to think about it because I knew Sky was right – I had even been thinking that myself many times in the past few months. Eventually I nodded. "You're right. I've thought about it myself, actually." They still didn't say anything, and I ran a hand through my hair. "I'll talk to her at the next opportune moment. Not tonight."

"We wouldn't make you do it right away, Bran. We know you better than that," Bloom sighed, shaking her head. "Jeez," she added teasingly, winking at me.

I couldn't help the smile that formed in return, and I felt my heart turn over at the look in her eyes, barely registering that Sky had turned the movie back on. Bloom didn't move from my lap, so I stretched my legs out slightly, taking up her space on the couch, and I rested my chin on her shoulder after she had adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. I smiled at the familiarity of it all – the three of us sitting on a couch and watching a movie.

And as I inhaled the scent that was solely Bloom's, I relished in the fact that everything felt whole again, everything felt complete. All because of a redheaded girl who happened to be so beautiful that, without even trying, she made my heart ache. The same girl who had dismissed me so easily when I had first moved here. The same girl who had intrigued me from the beginning and who had made me fall in love with her more than once.

The same girl who had never treated me as more than a good friend and probably never would.

* * *

**Okay, so I know I said that they wouldn't be friends again in this one, but that's not how it worked out, obviously. And things should be finished in the next one. I'm thinking about doing the last one in third person so I can focus on both Bloom's and Brandon's feelings. Let me know what you think?**

**Hope you guys enjoyed~ ^_^  
**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: [/is disclaiming]_

So, those of you who actually follow me will know that I recently updated _Winxspray. _Since I'm still working out the kinks for the next chapter of that story with Sarah, I figured I could go ahead and write the final installment on this story. So! I've worked my ass off for the past three days to get this done for you guys. I seriously hope you enjoy it, or I may just break down into tears. No hard feelings, or anything, though, if you don't. I'll find the will to live, somehow. [/totally melodramatic]

Before you read, **a slight warning**: the end of this chapter is... pushing the Teen rating. But I felt it was vague enough to where it wasn't a Mature rating, either. [/shrugs] Nothing expressly happens; it's mostly just alluded to, so don't freak out. I just wanted to let you know before you got to it.

Now, without further ado, let the story continue~

* * *

_"The art of love is largely the art of persistence." –Albert Ellis_

* * *

**Normal POV**

"Hey, you've got something on your nose," the brunette seated next to the redhead murmured as he bit into his waffle cone.

The redhead blinked cutely in mid-bite of her top scoop of ice cream. "Wha'?"

Laughing, the brunette used a napkin to wipe the ice cream off the tip of her nose. "There," he announced with a wink.

The redhead blushed slightly and smiled. "Thanks, Bran."

Anything he was going to say was cut off by the arrival of the final person to complete the trio. "You two got ice cream without me?" the blonde complained.

"You took too long, Sky, and we wanted ice cream," the redhead answered unapologetically with a shrug.

The blonde made a face but didn't sit down just yet. "I had to get out of my parents' latest attempt to set me up with someone."

Brandon grinned while the redhead choked on her ice cream. Both males looked at her concernedly, and the brunette asked, "You okay, Bloom?"

The girl held up a hand as she proceeded to make noises that sounded like a dying walrus. Once her hacking calmed down, she swallowed in an attempt to soothe her throat. "I'm fine," she replied, shifting her gaze to Sky. "Who was it this time?"

The blonde paused before answering slowly, "It was one of my mom's friend's daughter's best friends. I think her name was Diaspro."

"Wait, wait, wait. Not the same Diaspro that had a fling with Jared back in high school?" the redhead asked.

Sky took a moment to think. "Yes, actually, that Diaspro."

Brandon whistled. "Dude, please tell me you got out of that one. I heard she was screwing the Brit. Lit. professor at our college."

"I did get out of it, but how the hell do you know she was screwing a professor?" Sky asked incredulously.

Brandon hesitated before answering, "Stella..."

Bloom rolled her eyes at his cautious tone. "Bran, I'm not going to flip my shit just because you bring her up. I like to think I'm not that petty."

"We know you're not, Bloom," Sky replied. "And before we get into why we're here, I'm going to get my ice cream."

Bloom and Brandon sat in companionable silence as they waited for Sky to return. When he returned and sat down, he frowned slightly. "I feel like we're back in high school when the two of you didn't really know what to do if I wasn't there."

The brunette and redhead exchanged looks of confusion. "Dude, back then she used to glare at me while you were gone. Sometimes she even muttered insults under her breath," Brandon retorted. "I don't see that being what we were doing now."

Sky held up his hands defensively. "Sorry for misinterpreting," he replied with a slight laugh before he started to work on eating his ice cream. "So, which one of you called this meeting?"

"Bran," Bloom answered around a bite of ice cream.

The brunette finished chewing the bite of his cone. "I thought we'd go out for a celebratory ice cream considering I broke up with Stella last night and lived."

For the second time in less than ten minutes, Bloom was making dying walrus noises. The two boys watched with only a little concern, and after she recovered, she narrowed her eyes at them both in turn. "I'm stating a new rule: if there is ever food in the vicinity and you're going to say something funny or surprising, a warning has to be made."

Brandon grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, Bloom. I didn't think you'd be eating anything."

"Bran, think over what you just said," the redhead sighed.

Both Sky and Bloom waited patiently as the brunette mouthed words to himself. He finally frowned and shook his head. "I'm not sure I comprehend," he admitted.

"You invited us out to _eat _ice cream, but you _weren't_ expecting me to be _eating_ anything?" the redhead queried with a quirked brow, her turquoise eyes glowing in amusement.

Brandon's face turned red in an uncharacteristic blush. "Oh, hush," he muttered, pushing her face away so he didn't have to see the smug look on it.

Bloom laughed and returned to eating her ice cream with a somewhat sad smile on her lips. Brandon glanced at her, his gaze lingering just a moment too long to be out of simple curiosity. But the only one who saw and understood both of his hopeless friends' expressions was the blonde seated across from them.

* * *

"Sky, you've gotta tell 'em! I'm going to be a mass murderer if you don't tell them right this minute!" Bloom snapped; she had finally reached her limit. She didn't understand why everyone was being so persistent about her and Sky getting back together when she'd made it clear _that _would never happen again.

The blonde male looked up from his spot on the ground and released a sigh. "Calm down, Bloom. I'll tell them, but you'll have to be patient long enough for them to sit in a group. Can you manage that?"

Turquoise eyes flashed angrily. "Don't patronize me, Sky."

Brandon jumped up and put a hand on Bloom's shoulder before an actual fight could break out between the two. "Hey, now. There's no need to get worked up over this, and you don't need to take it out on Sky." Because he felt he had an excuse (and could get away with it) he lightly took her hand and tugged her along with him to gather everyone into a group. His heart skipped a beat as her small hand curled around his.

Bloom knew it would probably never be a common occurrence to hold Brandon's hand, so she'd taken the chance to see how he'd react. He'd seemed fine with it (and hadn't pulled his hand away yet) but it mainly seemed like he was indifferent to it, which was slightly disheartening.

They walked up to Musa and Riven first. The couple glanced at Bloom's and Brandon's hands before sharing a look. Brandon ignored it. "Sky has something he wants to tell us, so he wants us to group together. Apparently, Bloom is about to become a mass murderer if he doesn't."

The redhead scowled and shoved him—well, at least as well as she could with one hand. "You're as bad as he is! I'm serious! Tecna's never cared about my life more than she has these past few weeks, and Flora's been giving me these annoying little looks, and _both _of their boyfriends are driving me insane with their not-so-subtle hints about how great a boyfriend Sky would be. And I'm sure Sky will make an amazing housewife-husband someday. Just not with me."

Brandon's lips quirked into a smirk. "You know, Bloom, you're sounding so defiant that you're borderline defensive."

If her eyes could shoot lasers, he'd have been charred to a crisp about a thousand times over. "Muse, Riv—how mad would the two of you be with me if you were the only friends I left alive?"

"Oh, come on, I was just joking!" Brandon protested.

Musa laughed. "I would be happy to be left alive, but I don't know how long it would be before I got over that relief."

"I'd prefer not to have to break in new friends," Riven answered. "At least all of these are properly trained."

"See! They'd be upset if you killed me!" Brandon exclaimed in triumph. "So you have to leave me alive."

Their antics had (unbeknownst to them) attracted the attention of the four others (not including Sky), so Bloom was slightly shocked when she heard Tecna say, "Her threat lacks a certain gravitas when she's holding your hand, anyway, Brandon."

Both Bloom and Brandon blinked before looking down to see that they were, indeed, still holding hands. Bloom fought back a blush and quickly slipped her hand from his, causing Brandon to frown slightly as a wave of disappointment crashed over him. Okay, so maybe he wouldn't be _too _upset if Bloom killed Tecna.

Sky had finally made his way over to them by that point. "Okay, so, I have something to tell you guys. You might want to sit down actually. Except for you, Bloom. I might need... help with this."

"Yeah, of course," the redhead answered sincerely as she moved to stand beside the blonde. The seven others made themselves comfortable as Sky took a few nervous breaths, looking hesitant. Bloom reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. When he looked at her, she smiled warmly and nodded encouragingly.

Brandon's eyes narrowed slightly at the action, especially since all Sky did was squeeze her hand and continue holding it.

"All right, there's no easy way to say this... Look, you guys have been under the assumption that the reason Bloom and I aren't together is because of her. That's not the real issue. The main reason Bloom and I aren't together is because of me. _I _don't like her in that way and never really have. But that's because I've never really liked _any_ girl in that way," Sky explained.

The jealousy that had been simmering inside of Brandon was instantly replaced with confusion, and his immediate response was the all-intelligent syllable, "Huh?"

"Oh, thank god! I thought I'd have to keep my mouth shut about it _forever_!" Musa exclaimed.

Riven put up a hand. "Wait. So you're saying... that you like men?"

Sky winced. "Yes."

"Dude! I shared my bed with you!" Riven exclaimed.

Musa rolled her eyes. "Oh, boohoo, Riven. It's not a big deal. Besides, don't you think your sister and I would have said something if it were important? Or _Sky, _for that matter? Not everyone can put up with you."

Bloom grinned. "Musa's right. She's one in a million, Riv."

"This means Timmy and I can stop acting like we don't know, then," Helia sighed in relief. "Good. I was running out of things to tell Bloom."

Flora looked shocked. "You knew, _too_? I've only been trying to keep up pretenses because I thought you didn't."

"I told you Bloom would get tired of us pestering her, Timmy," Tecna announced with a satisfied smile. "So now we don't have to worry about who doesn't know."

Sky was dumbfounded. "All right, so who _didn't_ know?"

Brandon's and Riven's hands shot up. "I still can't believe you never said anything..." Riven grumbled.

"Oh, can it, Riven! I've walked around naked in front of him, and you don't hear me bitching," Brandon snapped.

"He's _your _best friend. How the hell _didn't_ you know?" Riven retorted.

"Because he never _told _me!"

Bloom darted forward and hit both boys on the back of the head. "Will you two _stop it_!?" she yelled. Both boys' mouths snapped shut. "No offense, but _both _of you spend a lot more time with Sky than any of the others, and _they _all figured it out on their own! The only person he _told_ was me! He's been dreading this conversation for years, and all you two are doing is making this situation worse for him by making him think it upsets you!" Her turquoise eyes glittered angrily as she pointed in Sky's direction. "Now apologize and tell him straightforwardly if his sexual preference does or does not bother you!"

Brandon and Riven winced before looking at the blonde male. "Sorry, Sky," Riven muttered begrudgingly. "I'm not really bothered by it, but I am a little irritated you thought you couldn't tell us sooner."

"Yeah, man, I'm sorry, too," Brandon added. "I'm a little peeved that you never _told me_, but I couldn't care less who you dated if they make you happy. You're still my best friend."

Sky smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I could have told all of you sooner, but I didn't know how you guys would react."

Bloom grinned before saying in a sing-song voice, "I told you so~"

"Hey, you didn't say anything to us, either," Riven muttered.

Bloom scoffed. "Because it wasn't my secret to tell. I wasn't going to tell anyone when he about had a conniption just trying to tell me."

"Thanks, Bloom," Sky muttered dryly.

"You're welcome~" she chirped in response, grinning unrepentantly. She yelped when she was suddenly yanked to the ground, but she wasn't given a chance to snap at the brunette male because he promptly started tickling her.

"Hey, Riv, hold her legs down, would ya?" Brandon asked as he narrowly avoided being hit by a well-aimed knee. The burgundy-haired male did as instructed, and Brandon smirked down at the redhead. "This is your punishment for not telling me, so struggling will only make you have to endure it longer."

Bloom continued struggling, glaring around at all her friends. "I hate... all of you," she wheezed out between random fits of giggles.

"We know," Brandon answered cheekily, his brown eyes shining.

Bloom felt her breath catch in her throat, and she involuntarily stopped struggling, wincing as her heart clenched painfully.

Brandon immediately stopped after he saw the wince, a frown darkening his features. "Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly.

Bloom blinked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "No..."

"Then why did—"

"If you're done with her supposed punishment, can we go eat? I'm starving," Musa cut Brandon off, much to the redhead's relief.

Brandon blinked and looked over at the raven-haired girl. "Yeah, sure," he answered as he pushed himself into a standing position. He turned to offer a hand to help Bloom up, but she was already pushing herself up. A lance of pain went through him at her unintentional rebuff, but he managed a smile as he asked, "So, where are we going?"

* * *

Bloom was going to kill Sky—really, she was. He'd told her months ago that he would help her move into the apartment she was going to share with Flora, Musa, and Tecna, but he had called her earlier with some lame-ass, vague excuse about his parents before telling her that Brandon was coming to help in his place. On any normal day, she loved spending time with Brandon—that was a given. But she was easily distracted enough by him on a daily basis; the _last _thing she needed was to stare at the man as his muscles rippled under his shirt when she was supposed to be carrying boxes. In fact, that was just pure torture.

But even with her distraction, she'd been able to do everything in a timely manner. And she'd _almost_ managed not to do something embarrassing, but she'd ended up tripping up the stairs when carrying the last box into the apartment. She hadn't hurt herself (or the box) so it had turned out fine, except Brandon had laughed for a good five minutes after he'd been reassured she was uninjured.

In fact, he was still sniggering about it as he helped her unpack. Shooting him a dark look, she muttered, "If you're going to keep laughing at me, I can unpack these boxes just fine by myself."

"I'm sorry. I'll stop," Brandon replied, but the grin on his face looked far from repentant.

She picked up a nearby object (which happened to be one of Kiko's toys) and chucked it at him, smiling smugly when it hit him directly in the back of the head.

"Ow! Jeez, woman!" he complained as he rubbed at the spot. "That actually hurt."

"Good," she answered unrepentantly. "You deserved it, asshole."

Brandon pointed a finger at her warningly in a mock serious way. "Hey, now, young lady. There's no need for such language—or name-calling."

Bloom grinned and shrugged. "You're the one who laughed at me for five minutes straight—literally—after I tripped."

"I made sure you were okay before I laughed! You can't hold that against me when you would've done the same thing!" Brandon protested.

He was right; she so would have. "It's different. You're a guy," she retorted, though that wasn't the real reason. If it had been Sky, she wouldn't have cared. But falling in front of Brandon? That was probably the most mortifying thing ever.

Brandon snorted to show what he thought of her "reason" before he continued unpacking the box in front of him. He paused when he came upon a sketchbook. Flipping it open, he was slightly surprised by what he saw—it was a sketch of her pet bunny, and it was _good_. "Bloom?"

"Hm?" the redhead responded without looking over at him.

"Did you take an art class?" He honestly couldn't recall if she had taken one in those months he'd been out of touch with her, but he was almost positive she hadn't.

The redhead's eyes snapped to him, and the next thing he knew, she was darting over to him. He frowned when she jerked the sketchbook out of his hands and threw it in the box. "Brandon." Her tone was urgent, and the anxious look on her face was making him worried. "What did you do with everything in this box?"

The brunette boy frowned and gestured to the binders and notebooks on the floor beside him. "I just set them to the side. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to unpack it..." he murmured as she started throwing all the items back into the box. He stopped her by grabbing her hands and forcing her to look up at him. She looked afraid (and kind of like she was about to cry) and it was tearing him apart. "Bloom, calm down. It's all right. I didn't know you didn't want it unpacked. I'll put it all back in there, okay?"

"What..." She swallowed and had to start again, "What all did you see?"

"All I opened was the sketchbook. I saw a drawing of Kiko, and I thought you'd drawn it, which was when I asked if you'd taken an art class. That's it, I swear," he answered earnestly.

Bloom took a shaky breath and nodded. "All right. I believe you," she replied softly. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. That had been way too close. There was a reason all of that was in the same box. There was no telling what all he would have found if he'd looked further or had peeked at any of the other notebooks. "And to answer your question, I did take one. During spring semester last year, actually. I didn't tell anyone about it since I never drew anything worth sharing."

Brandon raised a skeptical brow. "I don't know what you deem worthy enough to share, but that drawing of Kiko looked pretty damn noteworthy to me." He smiled as he released her hands and carefully started to put her other items back in the box. "Why don't we take a break? We can go and get something to eat. How does that sound?"

The redhead managed a slight smile. "All right. Yeah. I could go for something to eat right now."

They both stood and stretched slightly before he ventured to ask a question he was sure would be answered with a flat-out "no." Clearing his throat, he glanced at her. "Do you think you'd show me a few of your drawings someday?"

Bloom looked startled that he'd actually brought it back up, but her face softened into a smile. "Maybe..." she hedged, her turquoise eyes glowing.

Brandon's smile formed immediately in response. "At least it's not a 'hell no' like I was expecting," he teased. Bloom rolled her eyes but didn't comment as she stepped around him and walked to the door. He stumbled to catch up to her and fall in step with her, uncaring if he made a fool of himself so long as she continued to look at him with glowing turquoise eyes. When Bloom smiled at him like that, everything was right in his world.

* * *

It happened the next time Bloom, Sky, and Brandon hung out together. The other girls had cleared out to go on dates or spend time with other friends or family. Bloom had been absently sketching, just to get the drawing itch out of her system, when she'd heard Sky call out that he was there. Without even thinking about it, she'd left the sketchbook (open) on her bed and had gone into the lounge to greet him.

That was a mistake.

Bloom was still working on her last slice of pizza when Brandon asked, "So what movie are we watching?"

The redhead looked around before she swallowed the bite she'd been chewing. "Crap. I left it on my nightstand."

When she moved to stand, Brandon held up a hand. "You finish your pizza. I'll go get it."

Bloom flashed him a thankful smile as he stood and jogged over to her room.

"You never said what movie," Sky remarked as he took a sup of his drink.

Bloom gave him a look as she finished chewing her mouthful of pizza. "Why do you two always either ask questions or make remarks that need a response when I've _just _taken a bite of food? It _never _fails."

Sky grinned and shrugged. "It's a gift. Now answer."

"_Sherlock Holmes_," the redhead answered before promptly biting into her pizza.

The blonde made a noise of protest. "Oh, come on, Bloom. You know neither of us were interested in seeing that movie."

The redhead quirked a brow as she swallowed the last bite of her pizza. "I'm sorry; I wasn't aware that I had to choose a movie _all _of us absolutely wanted to see, considering the last movie _you _chose gave me nightmares for a week."

"How was I supposed to know it had killer clowns in it? Besides, I thought you'd gotten over that," the blonde sighed exasperatedly.

Bloom crossed her arms and scowled. "I _never _said I'd gotten over my fear of clowns, Skyler Johnson, and you should've been considerate enough not to rent a scary movie, anyway!"

Sky threw his hands up in defeat. "I've apologized what feels like a hundred times, Bloom. I'm not going to do it again since it doesn't seem to matter."

The redhead stuck out her tongue childishly before she glanced in the direction of her room. What was taking Brandon so long? Had she not left it on her nightstand? With a frown the redhead pushed herself up from the couch and headed to her room without saying a word to Sky—he'd put it together, she was sure. "Hey, Bran, was it not on the nightstand?" she asked as she entered her room. She stopped short at the sight of him standing beside her bed, her sketchbook in his hands. Her heart stopped as blood drained from her face, and then she felt her heart rate pick up as adrenaline coursed through her. "I don't remember giving you permission to look through my sketchbook, Brandon," she snapped coldly, her eyes glittering in anger.

The brunette boy just looked confused. "Why are a lot of these drawings of me?"

Bloom's mind scrambled for a reasonable excuse. "You're familiar. It's easier to draw you from memory than it is to draw others."

Brandon swallowed thickly. He didn't want to believe that was the real reason. Hell, for his own sanity, he _couldn't_ believe it. "Don't lie to me, Bloom. You could've drawn Sky or Riven or even Flora. You don't have any of them in here. _Why_?" He'd never felt so hopeful in his life about anything, and he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He dropped the sketchbook back on her bed and walked towards her.

"I told you why," she answered adamantly, but she refused to look at him.

"I don't believe that, Bloom," he answered quietly.

Bloom clenched her hands into fists before she looked up at him, turquoise eyes dark. "What do you want me to say, Brandon?" she snapped.

He looked down at her, trying his hardest to breathe evenly. "I want the truth," he murmured, his brown eyes searching hers imploringly.

Bloom made a noise that was a cross between a sob and a laugh. "The _truth_?" She shook her head with a humorless smile. "You want the truth, then fine. You're the person I most commonly draw, Bran, because for some god-forsaken reason, I can't get you out of my mind, even subconsciously. I'm absolutely, completely and totally, head-over-heels in love with you and have been for _years_, and everyone in our damn group knows it _but_ you, even when _Stella told you_ I was! It hurts to spend time with you, but it hurts more to _not _spend time with you, so I've kept my mouth shut." She laughed mirthlessly as she tried to keep from sobbing. "So there you go, Brandon. _That's_ the truth. Is _that_ what you wanted me to say?"

His pulse was pounding in his ears as he answered breathlessly, "_God, yes,_" before he leaned down and captured her lips with his. He felt her lips part on a gasp, and he couldn't keep himself from taking advantage of it. His hands came up to cup her jaw so he could tilt her head back for easier access as his tongue slipped easily into her mouth. He groaned as he tasted her, and he felt her shudder. He only kissed her more urgently as her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling on his scalp in a way he'd never thought could be arousing until then.

He reluctantly pulled away when his lungs started burning, and he rested his forehead against hers. Panting, he murmured hoarsely, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. Or how long I've wanted to hear you say that. I've been hopelessly in love with you since the night Sky formally introduced us. He'd talked about you practically nonstop, and you turned out to be more amazing than he'd described."

The redhead grinned cheekily. "I can't say the same," she replied, just as breathless. "You didn't impress me very much, and Sky rarely talked about you. I'm not sure how it happened, honestly. I just remember looking at you one day and realizing I'd fallen in love with you."

Brandon groaned and kissed her hard. "I'll never get tired of hearing that," he mumbled against her lips. When she laughed breathlessly, he trailed his lips to her jaw, nibbling at it. She let her head fall back slightly, and he took advantage of it as he nipped at the tender flesh on her neck. She gasped as he nuzzled a particular stretch of skin, and he paused before he sucked experimentally on it. He heard her sharp exhale as her fingers tightened in his hair, her nails lightly grazing his scalp.

As one of his hands traveled down to her waist to pull her closer, Bloom felt her head spinning. Things were accelerating rather quickly and only a small, rational part of her mind even cared. Her entire body was tingling with warmth, centered in a pool of heat in her abdomen. A noise (that sounded embarrassingly like a whimper) escaped her throat as Brandon continued to tease the skin of her neck, and she felt him grin against it as his hand squeezed her side, his thumb sneaking under her shirt to rub circles against her bare skin.

And that was when she heard the noise in the lounge. Oh, god, she'd absolutely forgotten about Sky. "Brandon," she managed to gasp out, pushing against his shoulders ineffectively. "Bran, stop. Sky's in the lounge."

The brunette paused momentarily to murmur, "He'll leave," and then he was trailing kisses back up to her mouth.

Bloom laughed softly, pulling away from him as best she could. "Bran, no," she managed to protest between kisses. "We're not doing that to Sky."

"Bloom," the brunette whined, though he did let go of her.

The redhead grinned. "Oh, hush. You've waited this long, Bran, I don't think it's going to hurt you to wait a little longer." She stepped around him to grab the DVD off the nightstand.

"I don't think 'hurt' is the best word to use there, Bloom. It may not _kill _me, but it sure as hell _hurts_," he grumbled, and it took her a moment to understand what he meant.

Blood rushed to her face, and she smiled shyly, her eyes slightly wide. "Oh..."

Brandon closed his eyes with a pained noise. "That's not helping, Bloom."

The redhead was unrepentant as she walked over to him. "Well," she stated with a grin, "you know where the bathroom is if you need it." His eyes snapped open in shock, and she took advantage of his surprise to kiss him on the cheek before flitting off into the lounge.

"Bloom!" he exclaimed in a pathetic attempt to be angry.

Sky raised a brow at the redhead as she fell onto the couch with a grin. "What took so long?"

"Bran found my sketchbook," was all she gave in answer, looking over her shoulder as the brunette boy came walking gingerly out of her room.

Sky blinked in confusion before his face slowly transformed into understanding—and then into instant relief. "Oh, thank god," he muttered. "You two have been killing me these past two months. The tension between you couldn't have been cut with a friggin' chainsaw."

"You could have _done _something about it, you asshole!" Bloom snapped.

"I _tried. _Why do you think I kept ditching the two of you alone together, especially whenever I'd promised to help?" Sky answered exasperatedly.

Bloom gasped, "I _knew _you were up to no good when you had him help me move! Jeez, I was so distracted that day that I'm lucky I only tripped _once_."

Brandon was far past anger now as he grinned. "Oh, so you tripped because you were watching me?" His tone was way too smug for her liking.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered, pushing his face to the side. "And why don't you make yourself useful by putting the movie in?"

Brandon laughed and stood up before giving a dramatic bow. "'As you wish,'" he replied, quoting one of her favorite movies.

She simply shook her head and smiled.

* * *

***a few weeks later* (1)**

The brunette boy stirred and looked over at her before she was ready. He blinked sleepily and pushed himself up onto his elbows. "What're you doing?"

Bloom glanced down at the sketchbook in her lap and felt her face flush slightly. "Drawing," she answered vaguely.

His features morphed into a cocky grin. "Drawing me?"

"Yes..." she admitted hesitantly. "But I overestimated how long you would sleep, so it's not done."

Brandon suddenly looked slightly hopeful. "Can I see it?"

She couldn't deny him anything when he looked so earnest. "Yeah," she murmured with a nod, picking up the sketchbook and handing it to him.

He studied the drawing for a while before he looked up at her. "Do you really see me like this?"

Bloom frowned slightly, furrowing her brows. "What do you mean?"

The brunette pushed himself up into a sitting position, and she was momentarily distracted by rippling muscles. Her mind oh-so-helpfully supplied the memory of those same muscles rippling above her last night, and she felt her body go warm as the vision knocked her breathless. She licked her lips absently before dragging her eyes away from his chest and up to his face. His eyes were dark and his pupils were dilated, and she felt heat pool in her abdomen in an automatic response. "You're wearing my shirt," he commented, his voice rough. She swallowed and nodded. "_Only _my shirt?"

She smiled shyly and murmured, "Maybe..."

He groaned, and she felt her toes curl slightly. He visibly tried to compose himself, and when he spoke, it was a croak. "Your drawing." He cleared his throat, and his voice sounded less hoarse. "Helia told me that not everyone looks at things the same way or sees what someone else sees, but their drawings convey their different perceptions." His eyes locked with hers as he motioned to her sketchbook. "When I look in the mirror, I most certainly don't see _that_. So I wanted to know if... if that's what you really see when you look at me."

Bloom blushed slightly with a shrug. "Well, yeah. I'm not altering anything, if that's what you're asking."

"But I'm... glowing. All it is... is charcoal... and it still looks like there's this... glow," he explained haltingly.

The redhead shifted awkwardly, staring down at her hands. "Because you _do _glow. You always look so happy and warm, and the littlest things can excite you. It's... amazing..." she mumbled. And as her face flushed darkly, she glanced up at him and added, "_You're_ amazing, Bran."

Brandon didn't remember reaching for her, but the next thing he knew his hands were cradling her head and her lips were moving gently underneath his. He pulled his head back and rested his chin on top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. She nuzzled her face into his neck with a smile, but since the position wasn't exactly comfortable, she could only stand it for a few minutes.

"Bran, not that I'm not enjoying being held, but... can you let go? This position isn't really comfortable, and I think my legs are falling asleep," she mumbled into his neck.

Brandon chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Only if you'll answer my question."

"What question?" Bloom sighed.

"Are you wearing anything under my shirt?" he murmured, his hand rubbing her back.

She pulled her head back slightly to grin up at him. "Let me go, and you'll find out." She laughed as his eyes narrowed, and she ended up on her back with him hovering over her. His eyes darkened when his hand found bare flesh where there should have been cloth, and she gasped as she arched into his touch.

* * *

Outside of her room, her three roommates were scrambling to retreat back to the safety of the outside world. The raven-haired girl closed the door to the apartment as quickly and quietly as she could behind her, and they all stood there quietly for a long moment.

"I _told_ you we needed to wait until this afternoon," Musa muttered, crossing her arms.

"Well, Flora said it was her first time," Tecna replied stiffly.

The brunette girl sighed. "It _is_, so I thought we'd be fine..."

Musa burst out laughing. "Oh, man. I forgot you two were _normal _first-timers. Let's just say that—given the circumstances—Bloom will likely ignore any soreness she may be feeling unless it seriously becomes too much." Grinning at the girls' winces, she sighed happily and took off down the stairs. "So, needless to say, we have an entire day to waste. Anyone up for a day at the cheap-o theater?"

-FIN-

* * *

**(1) I only addressed this one time jump so you guys knew it wasn't the very next morning. Just so you know the significance of it~**

And that's the end~ I might have slightly been pushing my Teen rating there at the end, but... I was less descriptive than _most _Teen novels are nowadays. Jus' sayin'.

Anywho! I had fun writing this. BloomBrandon is one of my favorite non-canon pairings. Probably my favorite non-canon pairing ever, actually. I just think they have the potential to be adorable together. I may write something else about them at a later date, possibly something actually Winx!verse. We shall see~

Anyway~ I hope you guys enjoyed reading this little ficlet! I've read over it and have to say chapter two really bugs me with how it turned out, so I may try to fix it (though it won't be any major changes, just some slight additions or deletions). But don't hold your breath or anything. ^^;

Before I completely finish, though, I wanted to address all my reviewers from chapter four.

**101angelwashere, **I'm glad you've liked it. C: And here's that update you've been waiting for. So I hope you're still with me...

**GoddessxNyte**, yes, they are. But Bloom's is kind of warranted; Brandon's just too... well, I wanna say self-deprecating, but that's not exactly true. We'll just say he lacks the will to believe she likes him, even when people are expressly stating she does. And I didn't update soon, but... I updated...? ^^;

**WinxFloraStellaBloom,** I'm glad you like it. Here's the "more" you requested.

**Love-Yourself1150, **thanks! I'm glad to hear it's good.

**TedBear123, **that's really sweet of you to say! But I feel like I'd be more talented if I could update more regularly...

**emolion, **I can totally understand where you're coming from. For an AU story to catch my eye, it has to be good. But I (for some reason) enjoy writing things where they're just average students (high school or college) instead of magical ones. It _is _a little easier to manipulate the characters in an AU, but I try not to make them too out of character if I do that. ^^;

**Bearybeach **and **Bloom2000**, I love when I get reviews almost a year after something's been last updated. I wish I'd had the chance to update it back then, but my two-year patch needed to play itself out. Hopefully you're still here and you can at least finish reading it~

**cuttiepattotie, **well... Brandon's POV didn't really work out all that well, so I had to alter it to third person. But I want to point out that he did not _just_ figure it out; he's just... really good at hiding it and, unlike Bloom, attempted to ignore his feelings since she didn't seem receptive to them. And I wish I could say I knew what you were talking about, but I have never seen that show or movie, so... Yeah. ^^; Can't say I used any of that for ideas. Lol.

**Tenshi Kagome1312, **your review seriously surprised me. I have never gotten a review nearly two years after something was supposed to be updated. Ever. So that actually made my day when I saw it back in March. (I think Sarah was with me, so she could probably vouch for me. Our car broke down and we were stuck in Conyers, Georgia a few hours away from home. xD)

I'd love to thank all of you for reading, and especially for reviewing! Since this is the last chapter, I'll send PMs to my reviewers that I can. If you're a guest, well, thank you ahead of time for whatever lovely review you may or may not leave. C:

Thanks for reading~

~ Lori ;)


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